My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 226

"...No...I don't quite understand it myself."

"However," Asuha-in-kun added quietly.

"I...didn't get discouraged. I felt that this was my only strength, so I kept trying to get perfect scores."

"...Why are you able to work so hard? All those people you hope will look at you with respect are ignoring you, so why are you still able to..."

"No—I remember now, it only happened once."

Despite the suppressed tone, the voice still sounded firm and strong.

"When I got 100 on a test for who knows how many times... there was a boy... I think he said something."

"What did you say?"

"I don't remember clearly... I think it was 'super strong~'."

The use of vague terms like "it seems" and "it should" is clearly an attempt to cover up the truth.

The evidence is that these words, though lacking in power and emotion, were merely casual remarks, yet she remembered them—the kind of words that, even if the speaker doesn't remember them, will be unforgettable to the person who heard them.

Although it was just an unintentional remark to herself, it became a source of comfort for Asahi-no-Yuan—she must have been unable to forget what happened back then, which is why she continued to study so hard…

"...In short, this is the only way I can compete with outsiders. The only way is to study hard and consistently get first place..."

Then, Asuha-in finally looked up and stared at me.

"And before me—you appeared, Irito-san."

The power in her eyes stunned me.

When I topped the entrance exam and read the speech as the freshman representative at the entrance ceremony, I couldn't distinguish the faces of the many students in the lecture hall. I could only barely recognize Shuidou, my mother, and Uncle Fengqiu.

At that time, she was among those faces I couldn't recognize.

They looked up at me as if I were an obstacle to their path, an irreconcilable enemy.

"I'm so bored."

Suddenly a voice broke between us, and we saw Xingbian slowly get up from the sofa.

So he was awake. "Hoo." Hoshino-senpai yawned, resting his cheek on the back of the sofa, and looked towards Asuha-in.

"All you can do is study? How utterly boring—humans aren't as simple as you think."

Asuhain's eyebrows twitched, and the mechanical pencil stopped moving.

An anger, so incongruous with her petite frame, suddenly erupted, freezing me in place. Before I could intervene, Ye Yuan had already turned to her and said:

"Could you please refrain from criticizing my way of dealing with people? There are people like me in the world, it's just that you don't understand."

"I just don't believe there's such a person; you just don't understand—studying hard in school is a privilege reserved for students. Do you want to repeat a grade forever?"

"Please don't nitpick! What I'm trying to say is that some people can only survive by focusing on a single goal!"

"So you'd rather sacrifice everything else? My God, you're acting like you're the protagonist of a story."

Compared to Asahi Yein's aggressive attitude, Hoshibe-senpai seemed unmoved.

The senior student was no longer looking at her face; not only that, he even took out his phone and started scrolling.

"I'm telling you... if you keep living with this attitude, you'll die sooner or later."

"Everyone must die, isn't that right...!"

"I really don't understand, I really don't understand. Well, a mere high school senior like me isn't qualified to talk about these things—but I think it's better to live a good life within my means than to force myself to the point of ruin."

In fact, Hoshinobe-senpai never ignored Asuha-in's feelings.

His attitude wasn't exactly great, but I felt that everything he said showed concern for Asuhain-kun.

However, the emotionally charged Asuhain-kun failed to grasp his true meaning.

"Because you, senior...! You're the kind of person who can easily get into university without much effort, even if you just take naps all day! Someone like me, who has to work incredibly hard to succeed... you'd never understand!"

After shouting those words, Tomorrow Ye Yuan stuffed his notebook and textbooks haphazardly into his backpack.

"Asuhain-kun!"

I wanted to call out to her, but Mingri Yeyuan slung her backpack over her shoulder and quickly walked out of the student council room.

I sighed and looked at Xingbian, the senior student who was killing time on his phone.

"Senior... I understand you're worried about Asuhain-kun, but you didn't have to say it like that..."

Senior Xingbian gently scratched his head and said:

"Did I say something wrong?"

"I think I said the wrong thing. Please let Senior Sister Ya Shuang teach you how to get along with girls."

"This punishment is too harsh..."

Xingbian sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, Irito. I got a little too excited, which isn't like me at all."

"I think he looks fine... but why did he get so agitated?"

"Well... let's put it this way..."

Xingbian interrupted the conversation by saying this in a low voice, and then repeatedly opened and closed his hand on the back of the chair.

"Actually, I can't raise my right arm higher than my shoulder."

"what?"

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Senior Xingbian didn't look at me. His expression didn't reflect any emotion.

But I think I understand now.

The senior always seemed carefree and unpredictable, always dozing off and lacking motivation. However, both President Hong and Senior Sister Ya Shuang respected him, and his physique suggested he was strong and powerful, as if he had engaged in some kind of sport.

I feel like I've become—a little more familiar with this senior.

"I'll leave the task of keeping a close eye on Asuhain, Irito."

"Me...?"

"No matter what kind of wise words they are, they must be spoken by the right person to touch people's hearts."

Then, at this point, Senior Xingbian finally glanced at my face.

Irito Yume◆ It must be because of your protection

"Yume—Mizuto—we're going to sleep now—"

"You two, don't overwork yourselves!"

"Okay—!"

Mom and Uncle Fengqiu left the living room and went back to their room. Shuidou, who was beside them, kept his eyes glued to his textbook and gently raised his hand to the two of them.

After each night's remote reading group session, Shuidou and I would always meet in the living room at the same time and study diligently.

Gathering in one of their rooms in the middle of the night might lead to strange misunderstandings. But if we were in the living room, with Mom and the others watching, focusing on my studies wouldn't cause them any worry. I hadn't discussed it with Mizuto, but it was as if we were using a secret passage to spend the night together.

If it were me up until last semester, I would definitely be nervous and unable to concentrate on my studies. But now, even with a water bucket around me, I don't care too much—in fact, it makes me feel both safe and peaceful.

Compared to before, I am now able to review my lessons with a more relaxed mindset. Perhaps thanks to this, I am also more efficient in my studies than before.

...I wonder if Asuha-in is also forcing herself to study hard today?

No matter how wise the advice, it only truly resonates when spoken by the right person—that's what senior student Hoshibe once told me. Indeed, I myself studied just as hard as she did during the midterm exams last semester, and ended up losing to Mizuto, ranking second in the entire grade. Later, I regained the top spot in the final exams, but I didn't push myself as hard as I did during the midterms.

But if I were to tell her to relax like I do because of this—it would just come across as condescending advice…

What can I do?

What can I do for her, who has worked so hard to the point of obsession, and for me, who has shaped myself into who I am today in the same way...?

"──Hand."

Suddenly, Mizuto spoke.

"Your hand has stopped."

"Huh?... Ah."

It seems that while I was thinking about it, I completely forgot that I also need to study.

Shuidou shifted his gaze from the textbook to my face and said:

"Did something happen?"

"Um...no, no, nothing's wrong with me."

"That's the student council?"

How did he know? ...But since it was beyond Mizuto's sight, it was probably just a few things.

"Hmm... There's a girl in the student council that's making me a little worried."

"You already have the energy to worry about others. That's amazing."

"It's all because of your help."

I smiled and answered that way, while thinking to myself, maybe...

There was no reason. He didn't express anything through his attitude either.

But—I can't help but feel that he might be waiting for me to pour out my troubles.

"...If you also have something on your mind, I'd like to talk."

"If I had to put in extra effort, I'd have five times as much as you."

"Would you mind listening to me?... There's something that's been bothering me a little lately."

Mizuto remained silent, turning his eyes back to his textbook. He meant that listening to me vent wasn't a big deal, and that he could listen while reading. I interpreted his reaction as that kind of answer.

I gave a brief overview of what happened in the student council room today, the state of the students from Asuhain, and Hoshibe-senpai's opinion on the matter.

After recounting the whole story, Shuidou, without taking his eyes off the textbook, succinctly stated:

"I agree with the former chairman's view. Rather than pushing yourself to the limit and ruining yourself, it's better to act within your capabilities. That's truly a wise saying."

"Hmm... I think he's right. But..."

"Using something as a pillar of support means that once that thing is gone, you won't be able to hold on anymore. Like you were teetering on the brink last semester. I don't think that's a balanced life."

Back then, after losing to Mizuto, I realized that I didn't have to be number one to lose friends. I discovered that there were actually many flat paths to walk on, instead of clinging to a single foothold.

But—

"—But that's a matter of efficiency. A passionate person won't listen to that. To her, it'll probably just sound like giving instructions in a game video comment, right?"

"That's...true. Because correct opinions...no matter how eloquently they're presented, if you're not willing to listen, you just won't listen."

"This reminds me of when I was deciding which high school to apply to. No one from my junior high school had ever been admitted to this high school, and I needed a special admissions student, so my homeroom teacher suggested to me in an awkward tone that I reconsider."

"Ah! Me too! At that time, I thought, 'I don't care!' Because I thought that if I didn't go to Luolou, I would go to the same high school as you."

"After I was confirmed to have passed the exam, my homeroom teacher's attitude changed completely, but it didn't move me at all."

Mizuto chuckled softly. At the time, when I realized I was going to the same high school as Mizuto after all that, I was utterly devastated. Now, talking about it just makes me laugh.

"At the time, I thought to myself, only the person involved is truly certain of their success; others always worry about the consequences of failure. The truth is, you only know which way is right by actually doing it. Without a mental support system, the person might become discouraged, or they might persevere. And we can't definitively say that the girl you mentioned isn't someone who's lost their mind and doesn't understand what discouragement is."

"A person with a broken brain... Have you ever met one of those?"

"Eastern Izana".

Ah—it suddenly dawned on me. Like that girl who got splashed by the water bucket, yet wasn't discouraged at all…

"In the end... can we just say that everyone has their own perspective?"

Everyone has their own way of doing things, and everyone is different. Everyone is great—so, can't I offer any advice?

"That sounds... a bit lonely."

It's as if they're telling me that people can't understand each other.

It's as if it's telling me... no matter how well we think we understand each other, in the end everyone is different. Because we are all different, we can't understand each other at the most fundamental level.

Mizuto was silent for a while, then slowly pointed to my notebook.